From 30 September to 2 October, Citadines will be inviting travellers at St
Pancras station to visit its travel capsule "for a chance to
experience what the inside of a Citadines apartment looks and feels
like". The capsule will "take visitors on a virtual journey to
London, Paris or Berlin, all from the comfort of a full-sized
studio apartment set up near the Eurostar".

There will also be the opportunity for visitors to win stays in
Citadines aparthotel properties across Europe.

The capsule, which will also visit Gare du Nord in Paris, will
show customers what they can expect to find when staying at a
Citadines property.

Citadines says it will be using this opportunity to educate
visitors on how best to immerse themselves in the city life of
London, Paris or Berlin via a giant screen and headset within the
capsule. This will include tips from local bloggers, giving advice
on little known places to visit and the best places to eat off the
tourist track. There will be a chance to play a virtual
apart-hotel-themed game. One player will win a three-night stay at
any European property and ten others will win a weekend stay. All
visitors will also receive a London themed culinary treat after
they have visited the studio.

Nancy Faure, vice president of marketing sales, Citadines Europe,
said: "We want to spread the word to potential new customers about
our concept, hospitality, personalised service and the contemporary
design of our apartments. To achieve this, we decided to go
directly to the two main thoroughfares in Europe, Gare du Nord in
Paris and St Pancras in London to host our Travel Capsule and
demonstrate our new generation of product. The Paris station is the
busiest in Europe with 180 million passengers annually, 32 million
heading towards the north of France, Belgium, the Netherlands,
Germany and Great Britain. In London, 45 million travellers use St
Pancras station each year. With the Travel Capsule we are going to
meet travellers and invite them to participate in a unique and
memorable experience with many prizes including stays in Europe. It
is a fun and original way to educate our future customers."

www.citadines.com

Editor's Comment

If I'm honest, the serviced apartment sector's efforts to market itself to leisure consumers generally leave quite a bit to be desired - especially when compared to other areas of the hospitality industry.

So hats off to Citadines for this innovative and fun marketing initiative. If they can educate Eurostar travellers about their product - broadening knowledge of the wider serviced apartment sector while doing so - in an entertaining and memorable manner, they will surely reap the rewards.